Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-06-03
ARMY HORSES.
Some Points OF Interest 20 In
lending sellers.

| be u interest. lhey are tne rules gwen
for the guidance of the purchasers of
horses for military use. ALI breeders of
horses should peruse them carefully;
|. Size-Four.year.o i. e., three
off after October LIST, shall not be less
than Is hands o. inch, nor exceed 10 Ii,
tor light cavalry.
For medium, they should not be less
than l5.l, nor over l52.
For heavy cavalry, not less than l5.2,
nor over l53 80.
n. BIN measuring a horse or iudg.
ing of his height and SIZE by sight, take
care that he stands on a level with
yourself. Dealers generally stand a
horse, if understood, on higher ground;
or, if oversize, on lower ground than the
intending purchaser.
2. Want OF fair amount Of breeding
should be an absolute bar.
3. Reject horse with a big, coarse
head.
4. Reject horse with a small, sunk.
en- eye. They are generally obstinate
and sulky.
5. Reject horse of color light of
the sort.
6. Reject a horse with long, slack
back. 1t will not carry weight.
!. Reject horse with hollow back.
The formation is weak.
s. Reject a horse with fiat sides.
They will not do work or look we'll.
g. Reject horse with slack loin,
i. g. undue length between the last ribs
and hind quarters (sacrum). They are
often bad feeders and will run up light
with work.
10. Reject a horse with a light loin,
i. e. want of breadth over the loins.
They run up light with work.
IL. Reject horse with scraggy hips.
They never do credit to feeding, part,c-
ularly if also slack in the loins.
IL. Reject a horse with bad girth-
i. G., Eight through the heart" This
| formation will always cause trouble in
saddlipg.
10. Reject a horse with a thick or
short neck.
IA. Reject horse unless it has a
good rein. With clumsy neck the
head is, in consequence, badly set on.
| Without good rein a horse will never
break well.
| Is. Reject a horse with very low
withers. The saddle will be apt to
work forwards, and the "rein" will
| probably be deficient, and the leverage
for the muscles of the forehand is de-
| fective.
l6. Reject a horse if very short.
There is not room enough for the kit
| n. BIO see the above points Il ICY
stand on the side and form your opinion
before the horse moves off.
Il. Reject a horse with a narrow or
shallow chest. There is not sufficient
capacity for the lungs.
Is. Reject horse with forelegs very
close together. This and the former de-
feet generally 90 together. To see these
points stand in trout.
49, Reject a horse whose forelegs are
not straight. They will not stand wear.
Stand behind the horse as he walks away
from you, ana you would be able TO no
tice these defects. if they exist.
20. Reiect a horse which is light be-
low the knee, especially if Immediately
below the knee. The conformation is
essentially weak.
2l. Reject horse with long. or with
short, or with upright pasterns. Long
pasterns are subject to sprains. Short
or upright pasterns make a horse un.
pleasant to ride, and, on account of ex
ira conclusion, are apt to cause osslfic
deposits.
%. Reject horse with toes turned
in or out. The twist generally occurs
at the fetlock. Toes turned "out'' are
more Objectionable than toes turned
"in." When toes are turned out the
fetlocks are generally turned in, and
animals so formed are very apt to cut or
brush. Both, however, are weak for
nations.
%. Reject horse whose hind legs
are too far behind. Good propelling
power will be wanting, and disease, as
a result. may be expected in the hooks.
"a. Reject horse which goes either
very wide or very close behind.
%. Reject horse with very straight
or very bent hooks. The former cause
undue conclusion, the latter are apt to
give way.
26. Reject a horse which is ''split
up" !. e. shows much daylight between
his thighs. Propelling power comes
from behind, and must be deficient in
horses without due muscular develop
ment between the thighs.
q, Reject horse with fiat feet or
overlarge feet. also with very small
feet. Medium size are the best.
IS. Reject a horse with one foot
smaller than the other.
Action must be light, easy, free and
straight. Reject q horse that crosses
his legs in walking or trotting He will
be unsafe. Freedom, power to move
easily along,is the great point in young
horse. Knee action is not essential; it
will come with bit and breaking.
A good walk is absolutely essential
Reject horse that does not walk well;
he is never pleasant to ride. If a horse
walks well, he will probably trot well;
but horse may trot well without walk.
ing well.
To ascertain whether the action is true
and straight, stand behind the horse as
he walks and trots away from you. You
can not ascertain this important point
by standing Cd the side.
Never omit to stand behind horse as
he walks away.
| A good sloping shoulder is an impor.
tant item in o riding horse, but bad
action may co.exist with good, and,
vice gersa, good, free action may co.exist.
with a somewhat straight shoulder.
Reject horse which is straight in the
shoulder and long from the point of the
shoulder to the upper part of the fore.
arm. This formation places the fore
legs too much under the horse and
makes him unsafe to ride.
You may have plain horse, even if
all the above very apparent defects are
absent, but you will, at least, have
serviceable one.
A horse should be rejected for any
one really bad fault. The greatest
strength of a horse is limited by his
worst point. Horses are often bought
because they possess one or more very
good points. This is wrong principle
in buying. The selection Of horses
should begin by rejection for bad points.
Bad points are. of course in a great